Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 64.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean is 64.4%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 64.9% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 60.4%, in 1993.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60.7% | — |
| 1992 | 60.6% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 60.4% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 60.7% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 61.0% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 61.7% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 61.4% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 61.6% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 61.4% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 61.8% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 61.8% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 61.7% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 61.9% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 62.2% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 62.5% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 63.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 63.8% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 64.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 63.7% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 64.1% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 64.3% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 64.5% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 64.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 64.9% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 64.5% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 64.2% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 63.7% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 63.3% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 63.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 62.8% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 62.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 63.0% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 63.8% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 64.3% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 64.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.1% | 60.4% | 61.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 62.7% | 61.7% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.2% | 63.3% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.4% | 62.2% | 64.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 13 Hong Kong, China 92.3% compare
- 14 Denmark 92.1% compare
- 15 Germany 91.9% compare
- 16 Channel Islands 91.4% compare
- 17 Japan 90.9% compare
- 18 United States Virgin Islands 90.9% compare
- 19 Cyprus 89.8% compare
More work & labour data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & Caribbean was 64.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 64.9% in 2014.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.4% in 1993.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.